The defensive line of the Lions, widely believed to be one of the best in the NFL, repeatedly punched the New England offensive line in the mouth - and as a result, the tentative looking first team offense dropped the ball, literally, on four of their first five possessions as the Patriots got taken behind the woodshed to the tune of 40-9 at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
 |
| A tough night all-around for the Patriots' running game |
They even made the Patriots go cut their own switch.
Treated rudely from the very start by the inhospitable Lions, the Patriots responded with grace and civility, handing their less than gracious hosts four individually gift wrapped footballs, making it impossible for their own offense to establish any lasting rhythm.
Quarterback Tom Brady's offense looked intimidated from the first play, yet still managed a choppy opening drive that found them at the Lions' 30 yard line, Brady finding rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld with a pretty pass up the seam for what would have been a first and goal, but Sudfeld coughed up the ball at the 10 for a drive killing turnover...
...the ensuing 15 minutes of play a nightmarish blur of playground-style bullying, the big guys in blue jerseys pushing Brady around and taking his ball away.
Brady played through the first half, going 16 of 24 for 185 yards, but got next to nothing from his running game as big bullies Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley clogged the running lanes while first-round pick Ezekiel Ansah and free agent pick up Jason Jones provided pressure from the wings as the big, fast Lions turned the potent Patriots offense one-dimensional, then feasted on Brady.
But even with the Lions controlling the line of scrimmage and almost completely shutting down the Patriots' running game, even with all of the turnovers, dropped passes, penalties and the two sacks by Jones, New England was still within striking distance.
And they were in striking distance because of the New England defense, whose domination of the Detroit offense was both amplified and overshadowed at the same time by the sloppy play of the Patriots' offense.
By rights it should have been 35-3 at the break, instead it was less than half that number as the Patriots' defenders dominated play when it counted, making big stops to force field goal attempts instead of touchdowns - and though nobody would have pinned such a rout on the defense anyway, given the proximity of the turnovers to the Patriots' goal line, their play was inspiring.
The three turnovers that the Patriots committed after Sudfeld's miscue all resulted in excellent field position for Detroit inside New England's turf - Brandon Bolden's fumble giving the Lions possession at the 19, Brady's interception at the 37 and Vereen's fumble gave Detroit a first and goal at the Patrtiots' 7 yard line - but the defense yielding only 10 points in the process.
Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford was held to a pedestrian 12 of 25 for 166 yards, many of those yards coming on a Reggie Bush catch and run that was more about Bush's individual effort and elusiveness than any sort of percieved execution, taking a screen from Stafford and wiggling his way for 67 yards after Sudfeld's miscue all the way down to the New England 13 - but the Patriots' defense stiffened and held Detroit to a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
In fact, New England's defense was stout from the start, even without all pro tackle Vince Wilfork, who was a game-time scratch. Tommy Kelly and rookie free agent Joe Vellano created upfield push, allowing the ends to make plays in the Lions' backfield and holding Bush and the Detroit running game to a paltry three yards rushing in the first half.
New England's running game never got untracked either, as their 32 yards on 18 carries in the first half bears out, but even without much help from the ground game, Brady still stood tall in the pocket and gave his receivers chances to make plays - and they did, but turnovers stopped any momentum the offense was able to generate.
"You're not going to score points in the NFL unless you string together a bunch of big plays. We would make one or two, but then we would shoot ourselves in the foot." an agitated Brady stated after the game, "We didn't do anything in the first half other than turn the ball over."
While frustrated Patriots' fans probably felt the same way - the truth is that the besieged Patriots offense outperformed their motor city counterparts and, though not up to their own lofty standards, had to come away encouraged by the play of their young receivers, particularly rookies Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson who each stepped up in the face of a Detroit secondary that was flying around and playing aggressively as the result of thier defensive line's dominence...
...Thompkins particularly, who has clearly gained Brady's confidence and assumed a starting position opposite wide receiver Danny Amendola, who did not play in this game.
The Patriots' offense fared no better in the second half, and the defense virtually disappeared as most of the first team players took a seat - the Lions scoring on five straight possessions to end the game and to turn a relatively closely played game into a meaningless rout.
Despite all of this, the Patriots' objective was achieved, that being getting one last good look at the players expected to contribute to their success in the upcoming season - some solidifying their status, some gaining momentum and still others falling by the wayside...
...which will all be broken down ad nauseum in the next couple of days, but do not be deceived. While the Patriots certainly have much work still to do before the games start to count, the positives from this contest stood out in the face of the negatives - which are ultimately correctable.
But...Ouch! Wouldn't even want to be a fly on the wall in this film breakdown, because if you thought that game was ugly, just wait until coach Bill Belichick gets everyone together for that little chat...
No comments:
Post a Comment